Moses had told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 30:14 that "the word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it." The words "with your mouth" refers to speech, "with your heart" to thought, and "that you may do it" refers to action. With your heart" pertains not only to the power of thought, but also to the heart as the seat and core of our emotions. We are called to function in this world with a feeling of love and respect (in awe) of God. The verse is telling us that it is within the reach of a believer to fulfill the will of God in the midst of their life. There was a time when the statement "this thing is very near to you…in your heart" seemed contrary to our experience because in our experience we found that we did not automatically acquire a spirit of love and fear of God. We saw that we had to change our heart. Fortunately, God has made provision for us in Jesus Christ to obtain to it.

We have received as a gift, by the Spirit, a love, and respect for God who has saved us. We have received the life of Jesus Christ. We must seek to arouse that gift on a daily basis. Paul declared in Romans 10:17 that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." If, then, as believers, we continue to reflect and think upon the goodness and greatness of God, each of us can generate, in our minds at least, a love and awe of God, sufficient to give Him expression. God is seeking a people who care enough about His existence, His will, and His plan to give Him expression on earth. We grow in our unity and oneness with the Lord.

Jesus prayed:" That they all may be one; as You, Father, are in me, and I in You, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that You have sent me. And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and You in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that You have sent me, and have loved them, as You have loved me." John 17:21-23 He prayed that we might participate in and enjoy the relationship that He had with the father.

"The word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it." The emphasis of the verse is that "you may do it." You are changed and transformed in the process of giving expression to Christ who dwells within you. There is then manifest evidence that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit and a dwelling place for God on earth. Salvation is progressive. We grow in our love and respect for the Lord. The love of God manifests in our lives in the daily, practical, and wholehearted fulfillment of His will through understanding and a will that is motivated by love. Reverence of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Then, through applied wisdom, we can grow in respect and love. We believe that what a person does is what they believe, and that we are healed as we go.

Hence, the true love of God, which is in itself, a reward for serving Him, manifests as we express Him. He is our shield and our exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1 "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? See how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect! And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. James 2:21-23 We are able to acknowledge and express God even by a love and faith that are not as yet perfected - and still remains only partially revealed in the mind and heart. This, then, is also the love referred to in the verse, "for it is very near to you in your heart that you may do it," a love and faith which, though it has not come to the full expression in the heart, is yet sufficient to motivate us. This is within our reach for we have heard a word from Heaven. Reaching forth unto those things that are before us, we press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It is indeed "very near" to us to love, respect and worship God, because we possess understanding. "The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart a person believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:8-10 We are healed as we go.

*For more information on this topic simply E-mail Michael Brod at: michaelbrod@hotmail.com

return